CUSTOMER
Walki Group
YEAR
2022–2024
WORK
Change communication
Content creation
International communication
Strategic communication & consulting
Visual communication & design
Change communication project for Walki in eight languages
How can a change project ensure that all employees, from the factory floor to every level of the organization, clearly understand their roles and responsibilities? Manifesto implemented a comprehensive change communication project in Walki Group’s international organization.
Challenge
The Finnish company Walki, which designs and produces packaging and technical materials in eight countries, partnered with Manifesto to support its business transformation project. This initiative involved the company-wide implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and production management systems. A key factor in the project’s success was well-planned and effectively executed change communication.
When the project started, the company lacked sufficient in-house communication resources to manage the change communication for such a large-scale initiative. An additional challenge was that, apart from the leadership team, most employees worked on the factory floor and did not have access to shared communication channels.
Change communication had to be delivered in eight languages across Walki’s international organization. It needed to be distinct from other internal communications, ensuring that employees recognized the important change program and were fully engaged in the change project. The communication had to be clear and simple, with technical terms in IT projects explained in an easily understandable way.
The goal of the collaboration was also to create a change communication concept for Walki that the company could independently implement in the future.
Solution
The goal of the change project was to standardize Walki’s business processes into roll-out processes that would be implemented across all Walki locations and factories in eight countries.
The goal of the communication was to ensure that all Walki employees understood the company’s new operating model and followed it. The communication kept employees informed about the project’s progress, supported them through the change, minimized resistance, and helped maintain a positive atmosphere.
We kicked off our collaboration with the client through workshop meetings, where we reviewed the entire project scope, Walki’s corporate culture, and its internal communication practices. From these workshops, we developed a change communication strategy, conducted an impact analysis, and designed the roll-out project to be easily transferable between factories, while still being customized to each location. The culture, legislation, and language of each target country were considered at every factory.
The communication strategy included a detailed plan outlining all communication activities at the corporate and factory levels, as well as externally for customers and suppliers. A wide range of communication channels were used throughout the project. In addition to the communication materials, we also designed and implemented a unique visual identity for the change project, along with printed materials, data visualizations, and infographics.
We conducted employee surveys and engaged in direct communication with staff on-site at the factories. We also organized meetings with the local steering committee, as well as workshops and kick-off events for the project team.
Results
Manifesto implemented a change communication project in three of Walki’s operating countries, creating a change communication concept and operational model to be applied in the remaining countries. Manifesto also designed and carried out corporate-level communication across eight countries, informing about the project’s goals and progress. As a result of the project, a new communication culture has emerged within the Walki organization, based on open and transparent communication.
Our collaboration with Manifesto has been exceptional throughout the entire project. The team understood our needs and unique characteristics and tailored their approach accordingly. We have also implemented their ideas wherever possible.
– Hannu Pääkkönen, ICT Director at Walki Group
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